PSecretary of State John Kerry and Gen. Martin Dempsey are reportedly open to the idea.

The president predicts the Super Bowl this year "is going to be close".

A slow-moving winter storm blanketed a large swath of the Plains and Midwest in snow Sunday, forcing the cancellation of more than 1,000 Chicago flights, making roads treacherous and forcing some to rethink plans to attend Super Bowl parties.

By Kevin Murphy KANSAS CITY (Reuters) - A major winter storm swept through parts of the Midwest on Sunday, dumping more than a foot (30 cm) of snow in the Chicago area before tracking toward New England, a region still reeling from a powerful blizzard that struck only days ago. The fresh snowfall and strong winds complicated the plans of millions of Americans in the Midwest planning to travel to Super Bowl parties on Sunday evening. In Chicago's two major airports, about 1,400 flights were canceled. "Now we are worried about the winds, with blizzard warnings and near white-out conditions," said Amy Seeley, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Chicago.

A man who climbed a bicycle rack outside the White House fence on Sunday has been charged with unlawful entry, the U.S. Secret Service said. Agency spokesman Brian Leary said the suspect did not make it over the bike rack, which is set back from the presidential residence's fence on Pennsylvania Avenue. The Secret Service, which protects the president and other U.S. leaders, has come under scrutiny after a series of security lapses. In September, an intruder jumped the White House fence and got into the building before being apprehended.

By Erwin Seba HOUSTON (Reuters) - Union workers took to picket lines on Sunday after strikes were called at nine U.S. refineries and chemical plants in a bid to pressure oil companies to agree to a new national contract covering workers at 63 plants. The discord comes as plunging crude prices force oil companies to slash spending. The United Steelworkers union (USW) said Royal Dutch Shell Plc, the lead industry negotiator, halted talks after the union rejected a fifth proposal from the company.